


When in Rome

by felisblanco



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Fic 2009, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-11
Updated: 2009-07-11
Packaged: 2017-10-21 07:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/222299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felisblanco/pseuds/felisblanco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>It’s a Friday afternoon in Rome when, without realizing, Jensen falls suddenly and completely unexpectedly in love with Jared. </i></p>
            </blockquote>





	When in Rome

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Однажды в Риме (When in Rome)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/222306) by [felisblanco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/felisblanco/pseuds/felisblanco)
  * Translation into 中文 available: [【授权翻译】When in Rome/在罗马时](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4845431) by [Milfoil_c](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milfoil_c/pseuds/Milfoil_c)



> Unbeta'd so all and any mistakes are completely mine. Did I even show you this, [](http://winchesterxgirl.livejournal.com/profile)[**winchesterxgirl**](http://winchesterxgirl.livejournal.com/)? I can't remember.

It’s a Friday afternoon in Rome when, without realizing, Jensen falls suddenly and completely unexpectedly in love with Jared.

It’s a promo trip, the Winchesters quest to conquer Europe, according to the CW’s plan at least. They have one night off, one single night before they have to fly back again, shooting the final two episodes of the second season. Two days of flying for less than two days of promoting. It’s insane and Jensen is tired and would be cranky about the whole thing except it’s Rome and it’s warm and they’re at the goddamn Colosseum which is just too amazing for words so who cares?

He’s just had coffee that was good enough to kill for, with some pastry he can’t pronounce the name of but wants to fill his suitcase with to bring home. The setting sun is throwing rays and shadows around like God’s own Michelangelo and Jensen hardly has time to take in the scenery, he’s so busy trying to capture all the beauty with his camera. The bottle of water is warm between his thighs where he sits on the old stone steps, facing the crumbled arena. Snap, snap, snap. Stones and dust and history so old it makes Texas feel like a single grain of sand in the hourglass of civilization. He wants to document it all, trap it on his memory card so the next time he watches Gladiator with Jared he can say, ‘Remember?’ and Jared can roll his eyes and say ‘Duh’, then sigh dramatically when Jensen pulls out the pictures.

“Look,” Jared suddenly says somewhere behind him. “Jensen, look. Ain’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

He turns around, the view through the lens rushing by like a river until it settles on Jared’s hand, holding the tiniest ball of fur.

“Dude,” Jared laughs. “Will you look at that?”

Jensen blinks and the kitten blinks back, eyes as big as its ears, body so small Jared could crush it with the faintest curl of his fingers. As Jensen watches through the lens Jared lifts the kitten up to his face, laughing as it swats at his nose, leaving the tiniest scratch on his nostril.

“Easy, tiger,” he says and pets the kitten with two fingers that still manage to blanket the small body. It’s the gentle giant and the lion and Jensen snaps a picture without thinking. Then another and another until Jared looks up and grins at him.

“Aw, Jen. Never knew you were such a cat person. Better not tell the mutts, they might get jealous.”

Jensen lowers the camera, blinking slowly. “You should talk,” he says. His voice sounds strange and he puts the camera away, taking a swig of sun-warm water.

“Yeah,” Jared says quietly, looking at the kitten like he wants to put it in his pocket and take it home. It meows pitifully and Jared brings it up to his face again, rubbing his nose briefly into its fur before lowering it gently down to the stone steps. It jumps from his palm and runs to its mother that’s waiting nervously behind the bars of one of the gates.

“You know they have fleas,” Jensen says. His heart is hammering in his chest.

“So do you,” Jared laughs and rubs his giant flea-infected hand all over Jensen’s hair.

Jensen doesn’t jerk away like he should, his breath stuck in his throat and his eyes frozen on the small kitten that’s now stretching out on the dusty stone steps, belly up and whiskers twitching. The hand falls still on Jensen’s head, heavy and unsure, before sliding down to his neck where it rests lightly on the flushed skin.

“You’re starting to burn,” Jared says quietly after an eternity of silence. “Maybe we should get going. Find some place to eat.”

Jensen nods. “Yeah,” he says, his voice slightly hoarse. He takes another swig of water, then screws the bottle shut and picks up his camera. “Let’s go.”

Jared’s hand slips off Jensen’s neck as he stands up, fingers running down his back where the t-shirt clings to his sweaty skin. He shivers, as if chilled, even if all he can feel is heat, melting his spine.

The cats watch them as they climb down the steps.

When Jensen flips through the pictures in his room that night, not a single one has the kitten in focus.

  
He’s jittery on the flight home, lips twitching and knee bouncing until Jared covers it with his hand, stilling him.

“Why are you nervous?” he asks. “You’re not Dean.”

It’s a joke but the tone is friendly, concerned, and Jensen hums noncommittally, the heat of Jared’s palm burning his skin through the rift in his jeans. His knees are anything but bony but Jared’s hand makes the one it’s covering look small, like a teenage boy’s. It bounces involuntarily, once, twice, like a trapped animal attacking its cage, before going still again. Jensen breathes out.

“Hey,” Jared asks, squeezing his knee. “Want me to hum Metallica?”

Jensen smiles, a tiniest tug at the corner of his mouth, but it’s enough to make Jared grin and lean over, humming the first bars of _Nothing Else Matters_ in Jensen’s ear. He shrugs Jared off with his shoulder and Jared laughs before leaning back in his seat, smiling. He doesn’t remove his hand.

Jensen falls asleep.

  
Vancouver feels cold even if it’s April. Jensen’s apartment is filled with silence. He turns on the TV, flips through the selection of channels before turning it off again.

He can still smell the dust of Rome on his clothes.

He stands up, walks into the bedroom, and finds his laptop.

There are over 500 pictures on the memory card. The first 420 show Rome. The last 80 are of Jared. Smiling, laughing, picking excitedly at the unfamiliar food with his fork. Talking to a small girl on a tricycle. Running his fingers through his hair as he gazes out at the street below their hotel, the moon shining behind him. Asleep on Jensen’s bed, remote in his hand. Ten of those. Shouldering his duffle bag, walking down the stairs. Getting into the taxi. Trying to fit his long legs in as he sits down on the plane.

Looking at Jensen with a smile, mouth open on the words, “Dude, stop it already!”

Jensen closes the laptop and stands up. He needs a drink.

Three beers later and he’s flipping his phone open.

“Hey,” Jared says, voice rough like he was sleeping.

“Hey.” Jensen licks his lips. All the words are gone from his head.

“Jensen?”

“Remember the kitten?” Jensen says. It comes out hurried, panicky, and he closes his eyes. His face feels hot.

There’s silence for a while and then Jared says, “Yes.” He sounds hesitant.

“I was thinking…” Jensen says, feeling unexplainably nervous, “maybe I should get one.”

“Yeah?” Jared says and laughs a little.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Jared yawns and Jensen looks at his watch. It’s one o’clock in the morning. Oh.

“I woke you up,” he says. “Shit.”

“It’s alright.” Jared yawns again. “So what kind do you want?”

“Don’t care. Just… a kitten,” Jensen says then adds, “Small enough to fit the palm of your hand,” before he has time to think.

He holds his breath through the silence that follow.

“Guess you need me with you then,” Jared finally says, his voice carefully casual. “To pick one that fits.”

Jensen breathes out. “Guess so. This weekend?”

“Sure.”

He smiles. “I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ok.” Jared clears his throat. “Good night, Jen.”

“Good night.” Jensen hangs up. He feels light, happy, almost giddy with anticipation. Funny, he didn’t even know he _was_ a cat person.

He falls asleep and dreams of a spotted kitten with green eyes, curled up in the cradle of Jared’s palm. Jared is smiling as he buries his nose in its soft fur, mumbling sweet words of nonsense into the hollow of its belly. The kitten purrs and purrs and purrs…

fin


End file.
